Safeguarding and Child Protection

 

Safeguarding Essentials:

All children have the right to grow up safe from harm. 

No child should suffer harm, either at home or at school. Everyone who works at Burnham Grammar School has a responsibility to make sure that all our young people are safe. 

If you are concerned about the safety or wellbeing of one of our school community, then contact one of our Safeguarding Team via our designated safeguarding email address: -

safeguarding@burnhamgrammar.org.uk

Safeguarding Concerns During School Holidays

During school holidays:

  • students should report any Safeguarding concerns they have to either their parents/carers or to the Police, including any concerns involving their peers.
  • students unable to speak to a parent/guardian should consider contacting Childline on 0800 1111.
  • parents/carers should report any Safeguarding concerns they have to the Police, including any concerns involving other students at the same school.

BGS is unable to deal or investigate any concerns raised during school closure periods, due to staff being on holiday and students not being in school.

As with other schools in Bucks and nationally BGS operates an on-call safeguarding cover in the holidays to enable other agencies to contact the school in case of emergencies.  The above measures are designed to ensure that students in need are supported as quickly as possible and in the most appropriate way.

Contacts:

  • Police: 101 / 999 (emergencies) 
  • Buckinghamshire First Response (Social Care): 01296 383962 or 0800 999 7677 (out of school hours)
  • Slough Front Door (Social Care): 01753 875362
  • Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Social Care: 01628 683150
  • London Borough of Hillingdon Social Care: 01895 556644

 

You can read the Burnham Grammar School Child Protection Policy below :

Burnham Grammar School Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy 2023/24

BGS Safeguarding Team:

They wear PURPLE lanyards to be easily identified.

The school Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Mr Lennon. 

Deputy DSLs are: - Miss White, Mr Burrows, Miss Kazi, Dr Cole, Ms Griffiths, Mr Conroy, Mrs Gerring, Mrs Krasner, Miss Pye, Dr Gillespie, Mr Cathcart, Miss Stoneham, Mrs Hudson & Mrs Watkins.

The safeguarding governor is Mr A. Frith. 

The safeguarding team at the school work closely with outside agencies and will refer concerns to them where appropriate. However, if you are concerned about the immediate welfare of a child it is always appropriate to make a report yourself: 

If you believe a child is in immediate danger of harm or violence, including Female Genital Mutilation, contact the police on 101 or 999

If you are concerned about a child’s home situation, then contact the safeguarding team at the relevant local authorities via the following links:

  • Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Children Partnership link here
  • Slough Safeguarding Children link here​​
  • Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Safeguarding Board link here
  • Hillingdon Safeguarding Partnership link here

We remind our students that they can speak to a trusted family member, healthcare professional or appropriate helpline for advice or support when school is closed.

Useful Links and Guidance for Students/Parents/Carers:

Listed below are website links which may be of interest to you/your child. Please note that Burnham Grammar School cannot be held responsible for the content of external websites.

BGS Mobile Phone Usage & Keeping Safe : Information for Parents & KS3 Students 2024

Information Services 

Bucks Family Information Service -  offers free, impartial information to families with children aged 0 to 19 years (or up to 25 years with a special educational need or disability), young people and professionals. They provide information on a range of topics relating to family life, from childcare, local services and education, to health, money and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Slough Family Information Service - offers free, impartial information to families with children aged 0 to 19 years (or up to 25 years with a special educational need or disability), young people and professionals

Bereavement

www.cruse.org.uk – Information for bereaved people

www.daisysdream.org.uk - Daisy’s Dream is a charity which supports children and their families who have been affected by the life-threatening illness or bereavement of someone close to them

 

Channel/Prevent

Prevent - is about safeguarding people and communities from the threat of terrorism. Prevent is 1 of the 4 elements of Contest (Counter Terrorism strategy), the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy. It aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist

Channel provides support across the country to those who may be vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism. The overall aim of the programme is early intervention and diverting people away from the risk they may face. Channel uses existing collaboration between partners to support individuals and protect them from being drawn into terrorism.

 

Child Exploitation

Child sexual exploitation is a form of sexual abuse that involves the manipulation and/or coercion of young people under the age of 18 into sexual activity

https://stop-cse.org/ssss/ - Spotting the signs of exploitation 

https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/ - Child Exploitation and Online protection 

Support for parents: -

Child Exploitation can affect any child in Buckinghamshire and impact their whole family. It is important that parents/carers are supported to access advice and guidance at the earliest opportunity, and outside of referrals or agency involvement. The Hub have therefore updated the Child Exploitation pages on the Buckinghamshire Family Information Service to share information in relation to what Child Exploitation is, what signs/symptoms to look out for, how to talk to your child about this and where to access ongoing support. Through these pages, any parent/carer in Buckinghamshire can contact the Missing & Exploitation Hub for an anonymous consultation which will provide specific advice and guidance around the exploitation concerns for their child. Click here to access the page 

 

Consent 

 

County Lines

County lines is a major, cross-cutting issue involving drugs, violence, gangs, safeguarding, criminal and sexual exploitation, modern slavery, and missing persons; and the response to tackle it involves the police, the National Crime Agency, a wide range of Government departments, local government agencies and VCS (voluntary and community sector) organisations

Criminal Exploitation of Children and Adults 

County Lines Guidance 

 

Domestic Violence 

Refuge - offers advice to all about domestic violence

Safe Lives - offers advice about domestic violence

Womens Aid – supporting women against domestic violence

Sexual Assault and Abuse Support Service Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes - Support, information, advice and guidance to anyone affected by sexual assault and abuse, including non-recent and childhood sexual abuse. This includes support for men/boys and LGBTQI+ community

Hestia – Life beyond crisis, we deliver services across London and the surrounding regions, as well as campaign and advocate nationally on the issues that affect the people we work with. This includes victims of modern slavery, women and children who have experienced domestic abuse, young care leavers and older people.

SAFE! Project - A charity that BGS work with - they have delivered assemblies to all year groups. SAFE! provides support to children and families around the Thames Valley who have been affected by crime or abuse through one-to-one and group sessions. Follow this link for resources created by SAFE! These stories were created to highlight some of the issues being faced by teenagers both on and offline and can help with starting conversations on the challenging topics.

Eating Disorders 

www.eatingdisorderssupport.co.uk – Local self-help group

www.b-eat.co.uk – Eating disorder charity and information service

 

Female genital mutilation (FGM)

FGM is the partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It's also known as female circumcision or cutting.

Religious, social or cultural reasons are sometimes given for FGM. However, FGM is child abuse. It's dangerous and a criminal offence.

There are no medical reasons to carry out FGM. It doesn't enhance fertility and it doesn't make childbirth safer. It is used to control female sexuality and can cause severe and long-lasting damage to physical and emotional health.

For more information on FGM, click on the links below.

If you’re concerned that a child has been the victim of, or is at risk of FGM, don’t delay – Contact the Police on 999

 

General safety

Protecting yourself from crime - Thames Valley Police

Anti Social Behaviour in Buckinghamshire  

For support around stalking / harassment click here 

Newsletter from Thames Valley Police, which relates to Burnham and the local area click here

Newsletter from Thames Valley Police Schools Officer - click here 

 

Gambling

www.youthgambling.com – Support with gambling addiction and other high risk behaviours

www.gamcare.org.uk – Support with gambling addiction

Gambling Awareness & Education Programme - Students click here / Parents click here 

Gender Identity

Gender identity is a way to describe how someone feels about their gender. For example, some people may identify as a boy or a girl, while others may find neither of these terms feel right for them, and identify as neither or somewhere in the middle. Although people often confuse them, gender identity is different from someone’s biological sex or assigned gender at birth and from sexuality or who someone’s attracted to.

Legislation exists that allows adults to go through a process to change their legal sex, however children's sex is always the same as their biological sex.  The term 'social transitioning' is often used when a child takes actions such as changing names, uniforms, or using different facilities to help them appear more like the opposite sex, with the expectation that they will be treated as if they are that sex. 

Further information regarding BGS' support and duty in this area can be sought by contacting the Safeguarding Team.

Advice to help you understand what gender identity is and how to support a child can be found using these websites

Online Safety

Privacy settings  - advice from Barnardo’s on how to stay safe online

Internet Matters  -  information, advice and support for parents

A Guide to Parental Controls Booklet - helping parents set up parental controls on online devices

www.thinkuknow.co.uk – CEOP website for children and parents

www.getnetwise.org – How to be wise on the net

www.saferinternet.org.uk – Online safety site for teachers, parents and children

www.kidsmart.org.uk  / www.childnet.com  – Help to make the internet safe for young people

What parents need to know about socail media / App platforms: -

To order your Vodafone Digital Magazine click here

E-safety – Important information to BGS Parents link here

E Safety Presentation for Year 7 Parents 

 

Parenting

www.bbc.co.uk/parenting – Information for parents

www.familylives.org.uk – A national charity that works for, and with, parents

www.parentinfo.org – Parent Info is a free website and newsfeed for parents and carers

 

Self harm

www.selfharm.co.uk – Helping young people with self-harm

www.harmless.org.uk – Supporting young people with self-harm

 

Sexual health

 www.tht.org.uk – Terrence Higgins Trust – sexual health

www.fpa.org.uk – UK’s leading sexual health charity

 

Sharing of nude images online

This is an increasingly common activity among children and young people, where they share inappropriate or explicit images online or through mobile phones. It can also refer to written messages.

As a parent, it is important to understand the risks so that you can talk to your child about how to stay safe and what to do if they ever feel scared or uncomfortable.

Follow the link below for advice and support on how you can reduce the risks associated with sharing of nude and semi-nude images online.

 

Smoking, drugs and alcohol

www.wearewithyou.org.uk – Young Addaction Buckinghamshire – substance misuse for young people

www.cranstoun.org/service/switch-bucks/ – Switch Bucks is an alcohol and drug service for young people in Buckinghamshire

www.drinkaware.co.uk – Developing a healthy approach to alcohol

www.alcoholeducationtrust.org – Helping young people develop a healthy relationship with alcohol

www.nhs.uk/smokefree.com - NHS guidance on smoking and how to quit

www.talktofrank.com – Information about drugs for parents and children

www.wearetheloop.co.uk – The Loop that aims to promote health and minimise harms in nightclubs, bars and festivals

For information about how children can access drugs online click here 


Click here to understand how the use of canine detection service supports BGS 

 

Tech addiction

www.techaddiction.ca – Information and support on the issue of excessive video game and internet use

 

Trafficking and modern day slavery

Protecting children from trafficking and modern slavery | NSPCC Learning

 

Young carers

www.youngcarersbucks.org – Support for young carers living in Buckinghamshire

www.sloughyoungcarers.org – Support for young carers living in Slough

 

 

Downloads

Page Downloads Date  
BGS Safeguarding Statement 2022 22nd Sep 2022 Download
British Values at BGS 07th Jun 2021 Download
Help outside school BGS 19th Mar 2020 Download